Sutherland PH3D phono preamplifier

The Sutherland PH3D phono preamplifier is replaced by the Sutherland KC Vibe phono preamplifier.

This RIAA preamplifier is the perfect illustration of its designer Ron Sutherland. This completely atypical product embodies key elements of the brand philosophy. Firstly, …its power is supplied by 16 Alcaline batteries! Although at first sight it may seem to be curious, it is really relatively ingenious in more than just one way, as it can overcome all the noises, parasites and mains fluctuations that are well known by music lovers. Indeed, many manufacturers achieve similar results, but with highly complex power supplies that multiply filtering and regulations. Naturally, all this has a cost... The operating batteries have a service life of 1,200 hours, which approximately corresponds to two years of average home listening. The internal layout, assembly quality and the level of components used is top quality.

It is simple to use. All you need to do is carefully adjust the gain and load impedance for your cartridge. Remove the cover of the PH3d and move the DIP switches to the corresponding values, the operation must be done on both channels as the build is double-mono. From the very first notes, we are surprised by the quality of the silences and the lengths of the notes. The transparency is very high and distributed across the entire audio spectrum and specifically the treble range, which is amazingly clear, without any harshness. Song lovers will be delighted by the quality and the presence of the medium that can be considered as a reference in this budget. The sound stage is equally wide and deep, with an unrivalled display of details. The sound quality is sublimely fluid and the timber is faultless. Even with a MM cartridge at less than €200, the result is outstanding, and fabulous with the mid-range or high-end MCs. An outstanding phono preamplifier that can be considered as the benchmark in its segment.

AWARDS:

Hi-Fi News - Highly Commended - 2010
Hi-Fi +
The Absolute Sound - 2007
Stereophile - 2007